Whether or not you’ve planned for your own demise, it will eventually happen.

The disposition of human remains eludes the thoughts of most Americans, whether inadvertently or on purpose. And the thought of their own disposal of is even further from the normal frame of mind. This taboo topic is sacred and solemn; too much for most people to consider without reason. But the awareness of mortality is an important factor in understanding the importance and value of life itself. On that tangent, I present to you ten things you may have not known about the business of death, straight from the mouth of a mortician.

10. Blood and excess fluid are washed down the drain and into the sewer system, the same public sewer system installed in area homes, schools and businesses alike. During an embalming procedure, the body must be drained of all fluids, mostly blood, and refilled with formaldehyde to sanitize, preserve and restore it to an aesthetically natural state.

9. A green alternative to contemporary burial is available in Virginia. A memorial forest for cremated remains is located near Williamsburg, where public and private trees are leased out for a given period of time. There is currently no green cemetery option, however laws do protect home burials in certain circumstances.

8. Human skin lay peeled like a potato and empty eye sockets adorn patients after an organ procurement procedure, a daily reality in funeral homes. Morticians must deal with the aftermath of donations, some of which appear ghastly and inhumane, but whose sole purpose is to help those in need.

7. Shotgun holes must be filled with wax, tumors cut away and heads reattached using common dowel rods. Restorative art utilizes wax, makeup and various hardware products to restore the body, especially the face and hands, to a natural appearance. Hidden stitches are used to conceal the mounds of pinched flesh created by other methods.

6. Costco sells Chinese caskets at a discounted price. Higher quality American caskets are often sold at funeral homes. Options include a plywood box, steel or hard wood casket. Funeral directors, embalmers and clergy charge individual fees. Vaults and cemetery plots sold separately. Prices vary.

5. It isn’t uncommon to accidentally break a limb while flexing it for a proper casket positioning. Rigor mortis is the stiffening of the muscles after death. Arthritic hands get especially stiff and arms are unreasonable within certain time constraints, depending on level of decomposition.

3. The cranial cavity is left empty after a full autopsy. The brain, along with all other internal organs, are removed from the body and placed into a viscera bag. A “shake and bake,” method is used to preserve the tissue, which is then placed back in the body cavity. Large baseball stitches are then used to close the body.

2. The marbled appearance of a body that is often depicted on TV is a sign of severe decomposition. Prior to shedding the skin, blood in the veins and arteries darken, causing a marbled appearance on the pale body. Skin slip is the term given to decomposed layers of skin that easily peel from the underlying tissue. It is most common among victims of drowning, or those submerged in water.

1. Embalming isn’t required by law, in most cases, nor are expensive caskets and burial vaults. Traditional burial customs aren’t necessary, and are open to change. It’s a widely known fact in funeral directing that the baby boomer generation will inevitably change the industry. It seems that cremation and green burial are becoming less faddish and more widely acknowledged. Natural disposition is becoming legitimate, and I am proud to serve on the modern bandwagon.